Paris Saint-Germain president aims clear warning at Barcelona

Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has warned Barcelona to stay away from defender Thiago Silva or he will target Lionel Messi.

The Spanish giants have been long-term admirers of Silva as they continue their search to strengthen the heart of their defence.

However, the Brazilian international told reporters on Thursday that he would respect his contract with the Ligue 1 champions and ruled out a potential move away from Paris this summer despite great admiration for Barcelona.

Nevertheless, it doesn’t appear to have ended the Spaniards chase for the 28-year-old, as the media continue to speculate that they will not give up their interest in the player.

That has led to president Al-Khelaifi responding to the rumours despite having already addressed the situation earlier in the week where he claimed that the summer recruitment drive for the French champions was not yet over, and they could target Barcelona players.

Clearly annoyed by the on-going speculation, he gave his most abrupt warning yet on Thursday which is sure to send a clear message to his Spanish rivals.

“If Barca pays the buyout clause for Thiago, I will pay the clause for Lionel Messi,” Al-Khelaifi told Actusports.fr as reported by football-espana.net.

It is understood that Messi’s clause is set at €250m, and therefore it is unlikely that Al-Khelaifi is being realistic in his warning. However, the message is quite clear regarding the future of Silva, and the club expect the Brazilian to play an integral role in their future moving forward.